The Goddess of Balance
by Stormez the Wolf
Summary: When Raven finds an old antique mirror in one of Jump City's shops with a shadowy figure trapped in it, she is thrown into a world she knows little about, given a power she never knew existed, and has to question the sanity of certain Goddesses and their decisions... (I SHIP Shadow Link and Raven! *Cheers*) Rated T for safety. Starts out slow but gets better as you read.
1. The Boy In the Mirror

**A/N: I ship Raven and Shadow Link!(As a main focus couple) To celebrate… LET'S KILL SOME CUCKOOS!**

 **Raven: Really?**

 **Shadow Link: Should we tell him?**

 **Me: Tell me what? *Is beating Cuckoos with a baseball bat***

 **Raven: Nah… he'll figure it out.**

 **Me: Figure what ou- HOLY MOTHER OF MAJORA!**

 **While I deal with three hundred angry "totally not chicken" birds, why don't you read chapter 1? As usual I don't own Legend of Zelda or Teen Titans. They are owned by Nintendo and DC comics and/or** **Glen Murakami** **respectively. This statement is blanketing the entire story. I won't be repeating myself. It should be noted that this story's chapters will be shorter than my previous stories. The reason for this is MORE FREQUENT UPDATES. So without further ado:**

 **CHAPTER 1**

 **The boy in the mirror**

"Today is so boring! Why can't someone try to rob a jewelry store or something?" Beast Boy groaned, slouching on the couch. The minute he said that the alarm in the tower went off. Raven, who had been reading a book in the OPS room, put said reading material down and sighed. "You just had to say something, didn't you?"

"Can you two argue later? We need to focus." Robin said, entering the room and pushing some buttons on the computer. "Looks like it's Dr. Light robbing an… antique store? That's weird even for him!"

"He'll probably just look at Raven and freak out agai-heheh… nevermind." Beast Boy shrank back as Raven loomed over him dangerously.

Cyborg put a hand on BB's shoulder. "Dude, you shoul'da figured out by now that's not a good thing to talk about!"

Starfire asked something curiously at this point. "Please… an antique is a type of ant, or a form of Teaching?"

"Neither, Star. It means a shop full of old stuff, usually worth a lot." Robin said. "Titans, GO!"

* * *

"Titans! Always trying to steal the limelight!" Dr Light quipped as he blasted Robin backwards, dropping the item he was holding, stopping his search for whatever it was he had been after.

"Do we even need to go through this?" Raven said, forming behind Dr. Light, whom immediately and predictably gave up.

As the authorities took Dr. Light away, a little old lady came out of the store from behind the counter.

"Thank you young miss. How can I repay such kindness?" she asked Raven, fully aware of the Dark Titan's effect on Dr. Light's psyche.

"Oh no, I don't think-" Raven started.

"Nonsense! Go on and look around! I have an impressive collection of occult items." The old woman interrupted. That was exactly what Raven needed to hear. She wandered into the store and near the back found a large mirror. "What is this doing here?" She asked. The old woman smiled sadly. "An old woman like me can't tell you that… but he might be able to."

Raven looked at the mirror again and gasped. There was a boy of about 19 clothed all in black with purple hair staring at her from within the mirror. He placed his hand on the glass as though there was a barrier between Raven and him.

"Wha… How... Who are you?" She asked. She felt he was trying to tell her something, but he seemed unable to communicate other than motions. Then he smirked. It sent a chill down her spine. He frowned and took a moment to remove something from his back. As he did so, Raven was able to see the Hylian Crest across the object. It looked like a medieval shield of some sort with a bird flying towards a group of three gold triangles.

"How much for the mirror?" Raven asked the lady. Something told her that symbol meant something, or he wouldn't have shown her that.

"Well you did just save my life. Consider it a gift." The lady answered.

The boy replaced the shield onto his back. As Raven asked Starfire to help her with the mirror, he looked at the Tamaranian with curiosity for a moment as well, but vanished before she noticed him.


	2. Research and Requests

**CHAPTER 2**

 **Research and Requests**

Raven was searching through the 17th book that morning, with no luck whatsoever. "Why can't I find out anything about that symbol? Are you mute? Who put you in there?" Raven asked the boy, whom had resurfaced and was watching her work.

The boy simply shrugged, further suggesting he was unable to speak to her. As Raven kept looking she stumbled across a book that Beast Boy had given her called the Hyrule Historia. Why hadn't she thrown that out? It was just a video game guide, right? She was about to throw it away when she saw the boy in the mirror seem to stare at the book intently, as though shocked it even existed. She decided she would open it then and by chance, she found that the page she opened it to…

Had none other than the boy in the mirror on it.

Something was different though. He was wearing green… wait, no. this wasn't the same boy. The very next page had the black clothed one from the mirror. "This is you isn't it? Shadow Link?" She asked. He nodded and folded his arms, frowning as though he expected to be hated for that simple revelation.

"Friend Raven? May I come in?" Starfire's voice rang out. Ever since they had defeated Trigon, Raven had periodically let the other Titans into her room with her permission. It seemed that the reassurance that she no longer would end the world had helped in more ways than one.

"Yes Starfire, what is it?" She answered as she unlocked the door. Starfire stepped into the room and noticed Shadow Link right away. "Who is that, why is he in the mirror, and can he hear us?" she asked rather quickly.

"I would say that's a yes, but he hasn't said a word yet. Or maybe he has, but we can't hear him." Raven answered.

Starfire walked over to the mirror. "Friend Robin has been asking to see you, but it is not on a subject you will like. He asked me to watch the mirror while you were gone."

Raven was immediately angered. "And why wouldn't he tell me this himself?" she asked, trying her best to hide her fury. Starfire shrugged. "I do not know friend Raven. He seemed… hesitant."

Raven put the books she had away except for the Historia one and placed it on her bed, then went to see Robin.

* * *

"You want me to WHAT!" Raven asked as everything in the room not nailed down exploded.

"I want you to get rid of that mirror! It's got a curse on it or something. How else would there be a kid trapped in it?"

Raven got up from the chair she had sat in, and left, but before she was all the way out the door, turned and said. "I don't abandon people. Or did you forget how Slade's grip feels around your throat?"

Robin frowned. He knew that she had a point, but something didn't sit right with him about that mirror.

Raven entered her room and turned to Starfire. "Get. Out. NOW!"

"Eeeep!" and just like that Starfire rushed out of the room at top speeds.

"So... Shadow Link… you seem… angry. What did she do?" Raven asked. He pointed to the book on her bed, which was open now, and to a page with Vaati concept art.

"She came in here to dig up dirt on you for her boyfriend. Ugh. I don't need this right now." Raven looked through the book for a while, and noticed there were several different references to Shadow Link, but always with several decades in between references.

"I need to think." she muttered as she retrieved her emoticlone mirror to Nevermore. She picked up the Hyrule Historia book and Shadow Link raised an eyebrow, watching as she disappeared into the mirror.


	3. Debate of a Different Sort

**Chapter 3**

 **Debate of a Different Sort**

"So you're telling me… that he's evil according to this, and he can't escape this "Mirror of Twilight" without help. If that's true, then why are we inclined to help him?" Raven asked as she and Knowledge discussed the book and it's revelations.

"Maybe there isn't a good reason. If he's evil we would have sensed malintent, but there is a distinct lack of any intent there at all. Like he is just fine spectating this world." Knowledge said, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"Did you just dodge the question?" Raven asked.

"Uhhh… no?" Knowledge failed miserably at lying.

"That's a lie. What aren't you telling me?" Raven asked.

"Weeeeeeell… I did say it wasn't a good reason. From what we know he's Neutral Chaotic. If we help him, there's no guarantee he would even care. He might try and kill us."

Suddenly Raven got the distinct feeling she was being watched and she motioned for Knowledge to stop. "I need to go check something." She said, leaving the Historia with Knowledge she exited Nevermore and found Robin rummaging through her bookshelf.

"Robin, What. Are. You. Doing?" She asked, teeth clenched and fists tightening.

"Uh… Fancy meeting you here?… heheh..." Robin managed to get out, terrified.

"It's my room. I don't suppose you have a reason other than being a snooping bastard, then?" Raven asked as her eyes split into four red orbs.

"Uhh…"

"Didn't think so. LEAVE! Before I lose what control I have left!" she growled. As Robin left(in quite a hurry despite wishing he had found that book.) Shadow smirked and clapped silently and slowly.

"Sorry. I've been losing it with him more often lately..." She apologized to the mirror as her eyes reverted. "So… Mirror of Twilight huh? Any way you can be removed from there that you aren't telling me?"

Shadow's eyes widened and he gasped silent as ever, waving his arms in front of him as if scared and not wanting this, but Raven was focused on the red orbs of eyes he had. They seemed to be hopeful despite his protests.

She smiled. "You aren't just a blank slate. No one is THAT emotionless."

He seemed to let out a breath then, and slump in defeat. Drawing on the surface of the mirror with his finger, black words formed and read as such:

Protected. SAFE.

"Who is causing you so much fear?" Raven asked, seeing the look in his eyes. The words changed then:

"Hero. hates me."

As the words disappeared Shadow beat on the Mirror with his fist.

"What makes you think you can't be just as much a hero? I changed, why not you?"

The minute she said that, she regretted it. His psyche seemed to break as he screamed(silently to her, but it was obvious he was screaming from the body language) so loud it shattered the mirror.

Just like that time slowed down as he fell through it's boundary before it completely broke.

 **A/N: R &R everyone! Although I already have it written, I won't post the next chapter until either 5 follows/favorites, or 3 reviews. Thanks in advance for the input!**


	4. A Heroine and a Shadow

**CHAPTER 4**

 **A Heroine and a Shadow**

"Wha- No… it can't… no, no no no, NO!" the shadowy figure of the boy looked up with broken, hate filled eyes. Now that he wasn't in the mirror, Raven could feel confusion, hate, and a feeling of broken betrayal pouring off of him in droves. There was definitely more to this boy than she first thought.

"What have you done?" Shadow asked. The first thought that came to Raven wasn't even "I messed up!" nor was it "I just freed you from a mirror prison."

No. Her first vocalized thought was: "Does your voice have to have that echoing undertone?"

"What does it matter? I told you the reason I didn't want to leave the Twilight Realm! He'll find me and kill me, just like all of the other millennium!" The boy spat angrily.

"Listen to me. The 'Heroes' here are not against you. Calm yourself. Anger is pointless." Raven tried reasoning with him. She was on her guard in case he tried to attack her, but he didn't seem to be angry at her… just angry in general.

"You are being careless. Hyrule ALWAYS sends a Hero after me. They don't give a million rupees where I am! As long as they see evil, there is a hero after it. Always. I was so sick of it I sought out the Mirror of Twilight and locked myself inside, and now you went and ruined it!" He shouted, standing up and brushing off some of the glass shards on his clothing.

"Well from what I know, you aren't evil." Raven tried to reason with Shadow Link.

"Tell that to Din, Farore, and Nayru! Oh wait! we CAN'T, because you aren't in the DAMN HEAVENS!" Shadow Link said, his voice rising with each word.

"Raven? Are you okay? Who's in there shouting at you?" Beast Boy's voice came through the door of her room. Raven sighed. "No one is shou-"

"Oh yeah, go blaming NOBODY for releasing a nightmare bigger than an entire nation on your realm! I don't see how you sleep at night!" Shadow yelled. Beast Boy took that as a good reason to barge in.

"Who do you think you are talking to her like tha- he's from the mirror isn't he?" BB asked as soon as he saw the destroyed mirror.

"Can we just all agree to calm down?" Raven asked. Her plea fell on deaf ears as the two continued to argue.

"Son of a wolfos you're annoying! I didn't ask for this!" Shadow finally said as he merged with Raven's shadow and it seemed to take his form. Beast Boy just stared at it. Raven sighed. "I'm going to bed."

"But-"

"Get out."

"But he-"

"No. Get out."

"Fine." Beast Boy sighed in defeat.

And with that Raven went to bed, deciding tomorrow she would see what she could do to help Shadow Link calm down. Maybe she could get the team to…

ZZZZZZ…

ZZZZZZ…


	5. Dawn of the First Day

**CHAPTER 5**

 **Dawn of the first Day**

Raven woke up rested and found Shadow Link looking out the window at the sunrise. "Morning, snoozalfos!" he joked. Raven vaguely recognized the term Stalfos as a monster in the book and, making an attempt at humor, said "I'm not THAT skeletal am I?"

Shadow Link smirked, "Touche! So… shall we see what it's like for everyone to turn against us… again?"

"Everyone isn't against you. I promise." She answered. He turned to her with a frown. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

* * *

"Please, he is some form of Shadow? Or is he a Link to something and he won't tell us?" Starfire asked, having caught on to(and sorely misinterpreted) internet terms the week before.

"Both, Orangie. Look up Hyrule and 'The Dark Mirror'. That should save you the trouble of hating my ass later. Best to get it over with sooner..." Shadow Link snapped as He and Raven drank Herbal tea whilst Starfire and Beast Boy looked cautiously at the shadowy figure. Robin walked in and just sighed. "Whether we like it or not, the kid's here, and besides, Cyborg can scan him and we will know what-"

Shadow Link interrupted Robin. "First of all, I ain't no kid, which you would know if you studied history at all. I'm ancient. Several. Millennium. Ancient. Second of all, What's a Cyborg? Thirdly, let's get one thing straight. No one's 'scanning' anybody. I am not to be trifled with!"

"Shadow, try to stay calm. The angrier we get, the worse it is for those around us." Raven tried once again to calm him down.

"As if that matters. We're all already doomed." Shadow Link said.

Cyborg walked in and Shadow Link's eyes widened. "So that's what a Cyborg is? A guy with metal parts? And I thought Ghirahim was bad! This guy could kill a Demon Lord in a heartbeat!" He said, somehow fascinated by the tech Cyborg had.

"Someone more interested in me than BB? I didn't think that was possible. What's this about a Demon Lord? We whooped Trigon's butt not too long ago, so… Ghirahoonow?" Cyborg asked as Shadow Link repeatedly poked him in different places.

Shadow froze. "Tr-Tri-Trigon? The Empty One? The Betrayer? The Demon Conqueror? That Trigon? What would you know about Scath?" He seemed to be freaking out now.

But not as much as Raven. "How did you know the name Scath? Not even my mother knew the other names you listed, but Scath was one that linked me to him and I have no reason to see you as a liar. What do you mean 'the empty one'? Whom did he betray? He's immortal! He wouldn't need to do that at all!" The questions were firing out of her mouth before she realized she had vocalized them.

"He wasn't always immortal. He bargained with Demise for power. In exchange for giving Demise the ability to choose whom would obtain the Triforce of Power for eternity… he would gain eternity. The Goddesses attempted to kill him and stripped him of his own piece of Hyrule's legend. The Triforce of Balance. But he retained his immortality so all that happened was banishment, and he lost his sanity, turning to a demon in body as well as his manipulative mind that tricked Farore, Din and Nayru! I thought he was gone, but from what you just said…"

"We fought him off. He's not coming back." Raven said in an attempt to quench Shadows fears. "I was his portal, and am his daughter. He cannot-"

"You don't get it! If he's here, there's a link to my enemies! I might as well paint a target on my back and say 'Hey Ganon! Let's go kill some Hylians so Link can MURDER US AGAIN!'" Shadow Link shouted.

The tower's alarm sounded, and The Ops room screen showed an army of Stalfos attacking a bank. "Titans, GO!" Robin yelled. As they left, Raven turned to Shadow Link. "You coming?"

"I… don't think that's a good idea." He muttered. "You go ahead."

Raven shrugged and followed her teammates out the door.

* * *

Two hours later the Titans were still fighting the undead monsters. "Why… Won't… they… Stay… Down?" Beast boy huffed as Cyborg took out another wave of them with his Sonic Cannon.

A cold, cruel voice sounded from the shadows then. One Raven recognized but this time it sounded like he was actually _trying_ to scare people.

"Because you are leaving their bones alone after you break them. Din's FIRE!" and a huge wall of flames incinerated the skeletal warriors to ashes.

"Wait a sec! We don't kill people!" Robin shouted as Shadow Link appeared. He smirked. "And that's why you will die if we face Link. Sure, he's usually not a killer… of men… but label something as a monster and it's like handing someone a piece of bacon. He'll tear into it like it's the best thing he's ever done. Anyways, we should go before-"

"Hello, Dark." A young man in green appeared in the doorway of the bank.

"&*%$." Shadow cursed as he hid in Raven's shadow.

 **A/N: R &R Everyone! I know the story isn't all that interesting yet, but I promise it gets better. ALSO, thoughts on how I tied in Demise and Trigon? Dumb idea? Genius? Let me know what you thought in the form of a PM or a review!**


	6. Dark (and short) Confrontations

**CHAPTER 6**

 **Dark (and Short) Confrontations**

"You haven't changed at all. Running from your fate at every chance you get." Link taunted.

"I told you, Vaati controlling me was the only time I was actually TRYING to kill you! And even then I saved your ass!" Shadow Link answered.

"Scumsucking LIAR!" Link yelled as he tried to stab Raven, thinking Shadow would have to reveal himself then.

"NO!" Shadow jumped out and blocked the sword…

With his chest.

"Raven… I'm sorry..." he said, smiling as he coughed up blood. Raven looked into his eyes, and bowed her head.

"Azarath,"

She clenched her teeth.

"Metrion,"

"What the heck kinda spell is that?" Link asked, eyes narrowing as her hands balled into fists.

"ZINTHOS!"

Shadow's eyes widened as the Master Sword in his chest seemed to vanish in a black aura and he fell backwards.

Right into Raven's arms.

"Wha- What did you DO?" Link shouted. "That was the MASTER SWORD! The Sword of Evil's Bane! HOW THE %*&# did you break it?"

"I didn't. I simply transported it away from your sorry freak of an ass back to where it was first created! Now then. Wanna see a real nightmare?" she asked as her eyes split into four red slits and her cloak released tendrils aiming to drag in Link.

"Raven… wait!" Shadow Link breathed. "I forgot to mention… If he dies..." Shadow inhaled, obviously still in pain. "I cease to exist."

"You… what?" Raven backed away, looking scared. She couldn't kill him, yet Link now had full intentions of killing Shadow Link AND her.

"Trust me. It doesn't work both ways! So which one of you bastards wants to die firs- what the hell?" Link spat.

Raven was enveloped in a white light, her clothing had turned pure white when it died down, and her hair had lengthened to the middle of her back. Her right hand now had a pyramid of four triangles on it, the middle one, which was upside down, was glowing.

Shadow Link chuckled. "I just took a sword to the chest for the daughter of Scath, a lost Hylian God. Seems her power has been awakened. What do you think of me now Hero?"

Then he fainted. Raven ran over to Shadow Link and transported them both to Titan Tower's medical ward. Cyborg looked at Link. "Some hero! Trying to kill just because of bloodline?"

Robin agreed. "That's low."

Link's pointy ears drooped almost like a dog. "I… but she took my sword and-"

"She did that because you were trying to kill someone special to her. I believe the term is… Boyfriend." Starfire said.

"She…" Cyborg started.

"They…" BB said simultaneously.

"he…" Link's face contorted confused.

"WHAT?" everyone shouted simultaneously.


	7. A Balancing Act With Fate

**CHAPTER 7**

 **A Balancing Act with Fate**

Raven hadn't left Shadow Link's side for 36 hours. Link himself had been outside the medical facility trying to apologize the entire time.

"I didn't mean to upset y-" Link started.

"Shut up." Raven said, not taking her eyes off Shadow Link.

"But I'm trying to apologi-" Link said.

"I said shut up." Raven reaffirmed.

"So… Triforce of Balance huh?" Link asked.

"What don't you understand about the words Shut Up? Is it the direction that points to the sky or the word that makes Close mean Be quiet?" Raven said. Surprisingly, nothing blew up.

Link sighed. "Look… I may not like it, but if he makes you happy, I really can't justify killing this one."

"This one? There's more of him?" Raven asked shocked.

"Well there's been multiple times he showed up throughout history. I am still not sure it was always the same person." Link answered.

"No I mean you… killed him before?" Raven said.

Link seemed to think this answer through(thank the Goddesses!) "He was given temporary immortality to test my ancestor's abilities. They weren't as… experienced, and I wasn't born when all this happened anyway so this is a moot point."

Raven was not entirely sure she believed him, but she nodded and turned to Shadow Link.

"Shadow! I'm so sorry! It's my fault… I didn't protect you and-" She said putting her hand on his chest. Suddenly she realized he had a large scar there. "What the-"

"Didn't know you cared that much, babe!" Shadow smirked as he sat up. She instinctively slapped him.

"So… how long were you conscious?" She asked while looking at his scar.

"Eh. Long enough. So… Link. I suppose we should stop fighting each other now? Truce?" Shadow said, holding his other hand out to shake. When he didn't get an answer he shrugged. "Raven… don't you think it's… wrong to put so much trust in me?" he asked her. She blinked.

"Why do you place so little faith in yourself?" Raven asked him, frowning. He sighed. "I guess when everyone thinks you are evil, you lose sight of any good in yourself..."

Raven put a hand on his shoulder. "I know what you mean. Before I was a part of the Titans, I felt the same way. Half demon, remember?"

"Half goddess." He corrected her smirking. She smiled at him and then realized something. "Link... how did you get here?"

Shadow Link's eyes widened. "The mirror was destroyed... how did you find us?"

Link shrugged. "Weird voices… fainting… woke up in a new place, then found you. Not much else to say..."

"Great… weird voices? Gotta be the Goddesses." Shadow frowned. "So how do we get back to Hyrule?" he asked.

Raven then remembered the Historia and answered him with a smile. "I might have a certain book that has the answers. Wait here!"

Link's eyes followed her as she made a portal and left, then he turned to his shadowy counterpart. "Do you really want to protect her? She bears the Triforce… but I don't know if I can trust her."

"She was able to shatter the mirror of Twilight with a subconscious thought." Shadow smirked. "If she isn't worth protecting, then we are screwed beyond hope."

Raven soon returned with the Hyrule Historia and earned a look of awe from Link after the previous revelation, similar to Shadow's shocked reaction. She smiled. "Found it. The spell looks like it will take a day to prepare though. I asked Robin to get a room set up for you Link. And Shadow, you stay with me. I don't think the others trust you yet."

Shadow smirked. "Ya' think?"

Link sighed, "With that attitude I doubt it's helping."


	8. Dreams and Goodbyes

**CHAPTER 8**

 **Dreams and Goodbyes**

 _Raven found herself standing in a field she was unfamiliar with. All around her there were weird creatures with weapons of all sorts such as clubs, axes and bows and arrows. Her eyes widened as they advanced on her and she found she couldn't move. Suddenly she saw her shadow move of it's own volition and Shadow Link emerged and began to annihilate the entire group of beasts. One after the other their screams filled the air as he mercilessly struck and landed blow after blow, cackling like a madman. He then turned to face her, and there was a look of killing intent etched across his features as he got closer to her..._

* * *

Raven bolted upright in bed. Her chest rose and fell as she noted that she was breathing harder than usual. She turned to see Shadow asleep next to her, peacefully breathing.

"Why did that feel so… dangerously real?" She muttered. "He isn't a cold blooded killer, so why do I feel so scared?"

Suddenly she saw him grimace and roll over… right next to her as he grabbed her waist and muttered something in his sleep. She gasped as he hugged her close like he was holding a teddy bear. Slowly she put her arm around him and nudged him until his eyes fluttered open and he looked at his predicament…

"Oh Goddesses… I am SOOOOOO sorry!" he panicked as he let go and jumped out of bed. She sighed and motioned for him to sit down again. "It's fine… but I need to know something. If you had the chance… would you kill someone without a reason?"

Shadow Link's face darkened. "You were having a nightmare about me weren't you?"

Raven didn't answer, and instead just looked at him questioningly.

"There's no other reason you would ask that." He said. "If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead. That being said… I have a curse placed on me by Demise himself. If I am in close proximity to certain evil artifacts or people, I lose control of myself. It is why the Chosen Hero is so adamant about killing me… he only sees me as the enemy."

Raven went over to the bookshelf in her room and picked up the Hyrule Historia. Shadow raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" he asked. She sighed. "Getting the spell ready. I told you it would take a while to prepare."

Shadow sighed. "What if I want to stay with you?" He asked, assuming she'd be shocked.

She set the book on the floor. "Who said I wasn't coming with you?" She said as if it were obvious. Now it was Shadow who was shocked. "But… think about what you are leaving behind!" He exclaimed.

Raven sighed. "Believe me, I've been thinking this over for a while. One missing Titan isn't going to be a big deal. Besides, I am tired of BB's pranks. AND Robin has been getting more and more obsessed with work, Starfire is getting less and less tolerable… and Cyborg's the only one I would actually regret never seeing again… but he wouldn't survive in Hyrule."

Shadow sighed and said, "You're sure this is what you want?"

Raven looked at him. "I thought you'd be happy I was going with you." she said, still near emotionless

"I am! I just think you should let the team know!" Shadow said. Raven sighed. "Maybe you're right… gotta wait for Link anyway, so I will tell them in the morning… but I have lost the will to sleep."

Shadow frowned. "The nightmare was that bad? Wanna talk about it?" he asked her. Raven turned to him. "No." she deadpanned.

"It will make you feel better." Shadow Link pressured.

"It's not my feelings I am worried about." She said. Shadow sighed. "You really think I am going to be offended by someone telling me I tried to kill them in a dream?"

Raven didn't even realize she had let her emotions slip until a tear hit the floor. Shadow stood up and walked over to her…

And hugged her close to him. "I will never do that to you. EVER!" he said softly but firmly as she lost total control of her emotions and started sobbing into his shoulder. He simply held her and patted her on the back, not sure what else to do.

* * *

The next morning Raven was back to near an emotionless state as she ate breakfast. She was still trying to figure out a way to say goodbye to her team, and Shadow was over by Link explaining the situation. Needless to say, Link wasn't too happy about it.

"She's coming with us? Are you insane? The Goddesses will try and kill her the moment they find her!" he whispered as the other Titans entered, all of them shocked to see Raven up before any of them for once.

"Well look who's up early!" BB tried to joke. Raven frowned slightly, reminded of why she decided to leave. Robin noticed and asked, "Raven… is something the matter?"

 _~Here goes nothing...~_ Raven thought.

"Yes… I am leaving. And not coming back." Raven said flatly.

"Subtle much?" Shadow said under his breath.

Robin didn't seem shocked, but he was a bit upset. "What brought this on?" he asked curiously. Raven was glad he wasn't screaming at her about how it would 'destroy the team' or something ridiculous like that. Cyborg seemed to know EXACTLY what she was thinking, because he beat her to the punch. "Isn't it obvious? She's going back with Shadow Link." he said. As usual Beast boy had a HUGE overreaction.

"Why the HELL would you want to go ANYWHERE with someone that creepy!?"

Raven walked over to him. "Before I leave, I HAVE been wanting to do something about that mouth of yours for a while." she said dangerously, her extra pair of eyes appearing. Surprisingly it was Shadow Link who stopped her from leaving on a bad note.

"Raven! Don't do something you'd regret!" he said as he teleported in front of Beast Boy. BB's mouth dropped. "Dude… why did you-"

"I guess you could say I like being the hero even when the Goddesses cast me as a villain!" Shadow smirked at BB.

To everyone's shock, Starfire was the one to speak up. "I say Raven should go with him. It is what will make her happy, and that is what matters. Goodbye friend Raven… I will… be missing you."

Robin seemed to finally come to terms with what was going on. "If this is what you want, I won't stop you."

Cyborg nodded. "Go on!"

Beast Boy seemed like he was going to protest until Raven glared at him with a 'say something, I dare you.' look.

With that Raven got the spell that would open a gate to Hyrule ready and a swirling portal appeared in the Titan's living room depicting a vast field.

Link walked through without saying anything. Shadow Link however grabbed Raven's hand.

"Ready?" He asked her. She nodded and they both walked through together.


	9. A Certain Magical Artifact

**CHAPTER 9**

 **A Certain Magical Artifact**

Raven looked around as they emerged from the other side of the portal. She sighed in an almost happy manner. Why it felt so familiar she had no idea, but she liked the feeling of being in Hyrule… and she had only been there for all of ten seconds!

Shadow Link looked around as if wary of some huge monster that would jump at them.

"What's wrong? We're in the middle of a field. There's nothing here." Raven said, quirking an eyebrow. Shadow frowned, "That's the problem. We need to get out of Hyrule Field before nightfall. Skultulas, Wolfos and Stalfos tend to lurk at night, preying on anyone who stays out of towns."

"Well if you wanna die, that's a good idea!" Link said, having been standing near the two of them. "You do realize you are still a wanted man Shadow, right?"

Shadow Link snapped his fingers and his clothing was immediately all red, his skin the same as Link in tone, and his hair was blonde. You could barely tell that there was any difference in the two except for color scheme and the fact that shadow's eyes were red whilst Link's were sky blue. Link cursed. "Why am I not surprised?" he muttered. "Okay… I will help you get into town and get you a room at an inn. ONE WORD about my involvement and I will slice you in half should we encounter each other again."

the now red-garbed Shadow leaned on the hilt of his sword, the tip of which was firmly planted in the ground. "Is that a threat or should I assume that's as close to "not my problem" as we're gonna get from you?" he asked lazily.

Link scowled, "Don't push your luck. You may look like me, but Zelda isn't a fool. Triforce of Wisdom, remember."

"I'm just itching to know what happens when she sees the daughter of Scath has returned to Hyrule." Shadow laughed as he pulled his sword out of the ground and the three of them walked towards Hyrule Castle town.

They made it into the town with an hour to spare, and Link led them to an inn. Resigning himself to his ill fate of having to explain why the four sword apparently was now in his possession again, he turned to Shadow Link. "We need to fake-"

"The old four sword charade? Got it!" Shadow Link split into three of himself, one red, one blue, and one purple. They all sported red eyes, however, so it wasn't a foolproof trick if you knew what to look for. Raven pulled the group of them back. "Hold on… I want to try something," she smirked and uttered her mantra, casting a spell on the three Shadow Links, their eyes all changing to a sky blue hue. Shadow Link didn't notice anything and asked, "Ummm… what were you trying to-"

"Holy Cuckoo crap! Shadow! Your eyes! they're blue!" Link blurted out. Shadow smirked. "So you have more than dark magic going for you here Raven! Good to know!"

Raven shook her head. "It's still the same magic. The best way to describe it is probably... pulled from a different emoticlone."

"A what?" Link asked, puzzled. The Shadow masquerading as Vio sighed, "That falls under private stuff I assume? She wouldn't even tell me, Green. Now hurry up and let's get a room and some food. I'm starving."

Link, or as the others said, Green, frowned. "You're milking this for all it's worth aren't you?"

"Every time." the Shadow clothed as Red smirked back at him. Raven smiled and pulled out a mirror. "This isn't something I usually do… but my emoticlones are... well... acting oddly quiet. Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!""

The mirror began to spin in place and lights of green, red, and purple shot out as the white cloaked Raven reverted to blue. The lights formed crystals, which then expelled identical Ravens in those three colors. "Don't make me regret this." the original Raven said to Bravery, Passion, and ESPECIALLY Rage.

Bravery saluted, "You got it, boss!"

Passion smiled and went over to Shadow-Vio and kissed his cheek, "Sure! As long as I get the man here!"

Shadow smirked. "So that's the mirror of Nevermore? I thought it didn't exist!"

Rage scowled, "And I thought you weren't an IDIOT!" she shouted. Directing her hate towards the original Raven, she spat, "Why am I not allowed to hate him?"

Raven sighed. "I repeat. Don't make me regret this."

Rage sighed in frustration and took a deep breath. "How long do I need to be 'polite'?" she muttered. The Blue-cloaked Raven smiled, "We'll go kill some of the monsters around here later as long as you behave." She said. Link raised an eyebrow as Bravery walked over to him. "So are we playing the girlfriends to these four who like… have a color coordination disorder?" She smirked.

Link sighed and went to the door. "Just don't get me thrown out!" he said as they walked inside.

"Link! What the… there are four of you? Please tell me you didn't free Vaati! That particular bit of history doesn't need to repeat itself." A lady at the counter said loudly. Bravery smiled as the four Ravens got an idea.

"Sorry… that was my fault… he ran into me while I was using the Mirror of Nevermore and it split us both. I hope that's not a problem?" Bravery said. The woman at the counter asked, "The mirror of what-now?"

A young man who had been reading a book in a corner of the bar suddenly looked up shocked. "I'm sorry… did you say Nevermore? The mirror that can multiply the user based on differing dominant emotions?"

Link sighed, "Shad, Telma, this is Raven. Can we get a couple of rooms?"

"Sure hun!" Telma said smiling. Shad stopped them. "Where did you get that mirror? I thought it was a myth!" He seemed a little too interested in it. Raven smiled and said, "Had it since I was a young girl. Now if you'll excuse us-"

"Oh… of course… you must be tired..." Shad seemed to realize he had overstepped his bounds, though his curiosity was still present. He went back to his studies as the eight differing colorful figures were led to a few rooms. Telma smiled at the original Link. "You must be the luckiest guy on earth, hun. Four girls? I'm impressed, even if she is the same person!"

Link smiled a fake smile. Raven could immediately tell, being an empath. He was showing the opposite of that smile. He was, in a word, spiteful. Something about this rubbed her the wrong way…

Shadow Red, Shadow Blue, and Shadow Vio thanked Telma and the three corresponding Ravens followed them into their respective rooms, while the original Link excused himself, claiming he had to meet with the captain of the guard about his enlistment as a Hylian knight.


	10. Sexiest Bloodbath, Or Worst Pickup Line?

**CHAPTER 10**

 **Sexiest Bloodbath, Or Worst Pickup Line?**

"You are sure she said she is Scath's successor?" Zelda asked as Link nodded. "Positive. She bears the fourth piece of the triforce… errrr… tetraforce now. I am not sure what to do about this, Zelda. She has allied herself with my dark counterpart. I fear the Goddessess will send me to kill her as well as Shadow Link, but I have witnessed that the Master Sword is ineffective against her, which worries me."

Zelda raised an eyebrow, "So either she is not evil, or she is powerful enough to pose more of a threat than Ganon… keep an eye on her for now. I will look through the royal library for what I can find out about the Triforce of Balance."

"Yes, Princess." Link answered before heading off to Telma's bar to check on Shadow and Raven.

* * *

"So what do you know about this?" Raven asked Shadow Link, holding up her hand showing the Tetraforce of Balance. He shrugged. "All I know is you are a Goddess who chooses the wielder of Balance, and in doing so both you and the wielder are given abilities. What those abilities are I have no clue since you haven't been around for years. I also know Passion is very sexy, and Rage is… well, mad at everything?"

Raven gasped and ran down the hall just in time to see Passion kiss Shadow Link on the lips. Holding up the mirror and dispersing said emotion, annoyed that she had done that, Shadow Vio smiled. "I was enjoying that!" he said, his smirk widening as Raven blushed.

"Can I go beat her up?" Rage asked walking up to Raven. Raven shook her head. "No, but if you want to go kill some of the creatures in Hyrule field be my guest." she answered. Rage smirked and was gone in the direction of the city gates within seconds.

Raven pulled her other emoticlone back into the mirror. Just as well, because Bravery was about to ask Shadow something Raven wasn't fully prepared to deal with. As they went downstairs and paid for some smoked boar and mead… wait what? Raven wasn't sure she could get used to that very quickly… then again it did smell really good, and they didn't seem to care how old someone was in regards to consuming alcohol. In the end her stomach won out and she took a bite of the boar…

Two minutes later her plate was empty. Shadow was all smiles, knowing why she had initially hesitated. "A toast! To the future!" He smirked holding up his jug of mead. Raven frowned. Getting drunk was a bad idea. If her powers went crazy she would be labeled as an outcast. She got an idea and held her mug and clinked it with his own. As she brought it to her lips she muttered her mantra and its contents were transported outside into the gutter. Setting her mug down, she stood up to leave and find Rage, planning on bringing her back to Nevermore, when she was stopped by Shad.

"Where did you get that?" he asked adamantly, pointing at her hand, where the Tetraforce **(A/N: Triforce and Tetraforce will be used interchangeably in this story)** was displayed. Raven quickly covered her hand, but it was already too late.

"Come on Raven. We need to meet up with Green." the Red Shadow Link said a little too urgently.

Shad muttered, "I really hope that's ink." as they left, seeming wary around them. As they walked around town, Raven expected to see odd looks from the populace, but was pleasantly surprised when none were given. Shadow Link saw a florist and got an idea, walking over. As Raven followed him she muttered, "Shadow, I'm not that kind of girl." To which he responded with, "You seemed like you liked enchantments… I thought a flower would be inconspicuous."

Raven found no flaws in that logic, looking them over, finding what looked like a black rose. Shadow Link smirked at her "Somehow I figured you'd want that one." he smiled, producing odd crystalline money Raven had never seen before. He thanked the vendor and as they walked away a mist emerged from his hands, muttering something she could only guess was a dark magic incantation. Taking the flower from him, she felt a chill go through her spine as the magic took effect. "huh… so what'd it do?"

Shadow raised his eyebrows, "Well I just thought you'd look cute with your ears looking Hylian. Goddess or not, You didn't think once that it would be strange to see round ears around here?"

"What?" Raven put her hand to her ears, finding that she now sported pointed ears. Shadow laughed, "Trigon never once mentioned his heritage did he?"

Raven chuckled, finding that she could surprisingly express more emotion than normal around Shadow Link "True. I never would have asked either… It's almost laughable that he called himself king of demons when he was faking it the whole time. Almost." She smiled slightly.

As they neared the south exit from Castle Town, they spotted Rage's rather gory trail of dead monsters. Shadow Link instantly had a toothy grin on his face. "I love you so much more now!" He said. Raven sighed in frustration. "Why am I not surprised?"

As they approached Rage, Shadow Link whistled and Raven blushed as Rage turned to face them after she got rid of the last of the monstrosities in her vicinity.

"What took you so long?" She rasped while wiping her brow, obviously breaking a sweat from exerting herself. Shadow Link smirked and said, "We would have been here sooner, but I wanted to watch the sexiest blood bath in history."

Despite her emotion being the epitome of pure hatred, Rage actually smiled for half a second, Which worried Raven for a moment. Rage NEVER smiled, but it was plain as day that she had to Raven.

"So what do we do now? Link is up to something Rae." Shadow said, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"So you noticed too?" She asked him. He nodded. "I am his dark counterpart after all!"

Raven looked over towards Castle Town. "We should leave Castle Town, but where do we go? I have no idea where we CAN go… I don't know-"

"Still got that book?" Shadow Link interrupted her. She nodded. "I don't see where you are going with this." She said, taking out the Hyrule Historia. Shadow Link took it from her and opened it to a map. "There we go." he smirked as he handed it back to Raven. Raven looked over the locations. "We can't go to Ordon… nor could we go to the Kokiri forest, if it still exists." Shadow pointed to places on the map. "Our best bet is to find a place to stay where we wouldn't be viewed as enemies, but not in a place where enemies of Hyrule reside."

Raven sighed. "That means Gerudo Desert is out. And I doubt the goddesses would allow us to stay in the clouds."

Shadow Link nodded. "Wait… how did you know Gerudo Desert was not a good place to go?"

Raven pointed to the place labeled "Mirror chamber".

"Oh… right..." Shadow Link chuckled nervously. Raven looked over the map again. "What about Kakariko village?" She asked. Shadow Link rubbed his chin in thought. "Well Link has been there in the past… We might not be well received at first, but it's our best bet at the moment."

"You are both getting really annoying, you know that?" Rage commented, finally saying something. Raven sighed and pulled her into the Mirror of Nevermore. "My teleporting spells aren't going to work right if we're in a place I am unfamiliar with." She said. "Maybe we should get some horses."

Shadow Link chuckled, "You aren't the only one who can teleport around here." As a portal opened up and sucked them both into it, depositing them in the middle of Kakariko Village.


	11. Is It Darkness… or Evil?

**CHAPTER 11**

 **Is It Darkness… or Evil?**

Link was beyond upset. Apparently according to Telma, his other colors(of course she didn't know they were Shadow Links) had left earlier that morning and taken Raven with them. At the moment he was riding Epona, his horse, through Hyrule field on his way to Kakariko village, having a hunch he would find them there. After all he HAD told Zelda he would keep an eye on them.

"Ugh… I hate babysitting. And Raven doesn't seem like a villain, so why do I have a hunch something's going to go south soon?" he muttered as his horse brought him to Renado's doorstep. Luda was outside and ran up to him as he approached, careful not to upset Epona. "Link? weren't you just inside? That new girl with you was telling the most interesting stories! I think she said her name was Raven? But you were..."

"Cuckoo crap! Pretending to be Red, Blue and Vio is one thing, but stealing my identity altogether, SHADOW YOU'RE DEAD!" Link shouted as he threw the doors open…

To find Colin, Beth, Malo and Talo as well as Renado himself sitting down next to a white clad Raven and a masquerading Blue Shadow Link.

Colin, who had grown more than just a little in the past year and was looking more like the hero he aspired to be ever since Zant's invasion and Link's former adventure, shot out of his chair and looked around wildly. "Where?" he shouted, pulling a sword from his back that Rusl had finally caved in and given him.

Shadow Blue frowned but before he could get up, Raven had an idea and looked over at Link. "Jeez Green, lost your nerve? I was just telling the kids here about how I battled a demon lord… wait didn't one of your ancestors do that a while ago… give or take a couple millennium?"

Link sighed in defeat, not wanting to cause a fight to break out in Renado's house, and Shadow Vio and Shadow Red, whom had been leaning on the far wall and just smirking like they knew something, laughed. "Yeah! Lighten up Green! It's not like Zant's coming back! Or did you forget who killed him?" Red goaded.

Link's frown turned into a scowl, "Shut up, right now! I don't want to relive my past any more than any of you!" he growled, not unlike the blue eyed beast he had become back then. Shadow wisely backed off, and Raven returned to telling her story.

"So there I was, being given a piggy back ride in my child-state, kinda like you Malo!" she smiled slightly when said young boy frowned and muttered, "I'm not a baby any more!"(he was no longer the young baby-faced boy he had been any more than the rest of them)

"When my friend told me the story of when I had helped them out as an adult, trying to help me stand up to my f-the Demon Lord we had to fight. Eventually when we all were at a loss of what to do, something snapped inside me, and I defeated him with pure light magic! Similar to this, but pure white!" She held her hand up and made the mistake of calling on her dark powers. As a small horse made of shadows and dark constructs appeared, Renado pulled the kids away. "She's using dark magic!" Collin cried out. Link smirked despite himself and Raven dispelled the magic at her fingertips. "What's so wrong with that if you use it for good?" She asked defensively.

"Forgive us for thinking this, but it's quite rare to see any good come of dark magic." Renado said eerily calmly. Raven now realized her mistake. "Rare, but I assure you, not impossible." she responded equally calmly.

"What makes you so sure?" Beth asked her, still cowering. Raven smiled and turned her hand over slightly revealing the Tetraforce of Balance. The room was silent for a moment before the children gasped and Renado exclaimed, "Where did you get that?"

"From my father. The former God of Balance managed to do one good thing before we banished him." she shrugged. "Look, I don't care what he did or what my powers are here. I just want to help people."

"Excuse me for saying this, but almost everyone here believes that that's a load of crap." Link spat. Raven sighed and a portal appeared behind her, "If you were more open minded I might care where this will take me." she said sadly. Shadow's eyes widened and he made a move to grab her hands, but she was already gone.

As soon as she left, there was only one Shadow Link in the room, and he was back to the ash colored skin and purple hair.

"Well shit." He muttered, looking down at his attire. Colin and Link drew their swords and got on either side of him. "I am so going to enjoy this!" Link smirked.

"Like bacon." Shadow sighed as he drew his own blade and evened the odds by splitting into two.


	12. The Sacred Opposition

**CHAPTER 12**

 **The Sacred Opposition**

Raven emerged from the portal she had made and looked around. She was in a field of some sort with a pedestal in the center, where the Triforce itself rested.

"Well look who it is!" a voice said, not unkindly. "Took you long enough!"

Raven turned and raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. Din, Farore, or Nayru?" she said, no emotion whatsoever coming from her voice. The figure nodded, her red hair bobbing along with her head. "I am Din, yes. Forgive my sisters, for they were afraid you were coming here to kill us, you see."

"I see… well that couldn't be farther from the truth. I honestly just made a random portal to escape being hunted like an animal for this:" Raven said, forming a ball of dark energy in her hand.

Din frowned. "Ah, yes… that little inconvenience. We can't have you wandering Hyrule using dark powers now can we?"

Now it was Raven's turn to frown. "That isn't my fault. I was born with them."

Din nodded. "Well you know we can't have darkness suddenly acceptable as powers that be, I assume?"

Raven scowled, "Says the woman who gives Ganon his power." she deadpanned. Din now bore an equally frightening scowl. "You should not speak to your elders in such a manner." the Goddess said. Raven shrugged and held up her right hand. "Care to help me understand this or did I put you in a bad enough mood that that won't happen?"

Din saw the mark of the Tetraforce of Balance and backed away. "So it's true! Very well. You need to pick a wielder of this power and once you do that person will be locked in fate with the wielders of Courage, Power and Wisdom. They gain abilities, though what those are have been lost to time due to Scath being gone for so long..."

"I see. Thank you for helping me understand." Raven nodded. "Just one question. If I were to bestow it upon a person of questionable integrity, what would the three of you do?"

Din sighed, "You may be younger, but Goddesses don't gang up on each other. We are here to help you, not influence you. We only act against each other if the balance of Hyrule is threatened."

"If you aren't here to influence my decision, you are doing a terrible job. I am what's called an empath. I know your intentions. I can sense the other two nearby. If you truly accepted Scath back into your ranks, Our sisters wouldn't have hidden themselves and be trying to formulate a plan of attack while you stalled me. Time's up Nayru. Stop whispering with Farore and come out where I can meet you personally." Raven said, still no hint of emotion in her voice. Din's frown deepened as the other two slowly removed the spells keeping them hidden.

"There are three of us and one of you. Don't make this end badly." Din warned. Raven simply made a portal leading out of the sacred realm. "I will respect your wish to leave me out of your affairs. I expect you to respect me enough to leave me to my own devices." she said before disappearing.

"That… could have gone better..." Farore admitted.

Nayru sighed. "We're gonna have to kill her aren't we?"

Din nodded. "With her powers being viewed as evil, we have no choice. If we leave her alive, think of the panic in Hyrule she will cause… and the unwanted attention from certain people..."

"She would be easy prey for any of the enemies of Hyrule." Farore agreed.

Nayru was more hesitant than the other two. "If we act against her she will be forced to run to those that may turn her against us!" she countered. "Do you really want Ganondorf to have TWO pieces of the Tetraforce?"

Din shook her head. "Dear sister, if she sides with him, the Hero will take care of her for us!"

Nayru realized something then. "She had said 'Our sisters' when she mentioned us! She isn't hostile!"

"Regardless, her power makes her the enemy." Farore said, "We need to make sure she is dealt with!"


	13. Has Our Luck Finally Changed?

**CHAPTER 13**

 **Has Our Luck Finally Changed?**

Shadow Link was running out of options. Colin, it seemed, had become just as good as Link when it came to the art of swordplay, which wasn't surprising since Link himself had been his teacher. On top of that, Shadow was having to keep both of them at bay. While he was preoccupied with one of Link's strikes, the clone fighting Colin was stabbed and disposed of. Not able to see a way out, Shadow sheathed his sword and raised his hands.

"Fine. You want me dead? Think about what your answer is before you give one. I happen to be the reason dungeons have magic pots just sitting there full of arrows and money! What, you thought Ganon just let you have that because he WANTS you to win?" Shadow shouted angrily. "I am sick of covering for you and being the 'bad guy' every time we meet each other! Yet you insist on killing me over and over! Damn it! GROW UP!"

Link blinked, torn between killing his shadowy counterpart and listening to reason. He had always wondered how those pots got there in the first place.

It was at that moment that Raven reappeared near Shadow Link. "Would you two stop trying to kill each other just ONCE?" she groaned.

Needless to say the entire room got deathly quiet. Renado, being the peacekeeper he was, sighed and said, "You were the one supplying the heroes of old with ammunition for their bows and funding them? I find that difficult to believe unless you can do so in front of us."

Shadow link smirked and walked over to one of the empty pots in the room. Giving it to Colin, he asked, "Is there anything in there?"

Colin looked inside it, cautiosly as if expecting a bombchu or a keese to attack him. Finding nothing, he said, "Nothing, sir."

Shadow sighed, "Quit with the sir crap, I am just the shadow of the hero, so Shadow is fine."

"Uh… okay..." Colin was visibly put off by this but not willing to say so out loud. Shadow Link put a hand over the pot and a foggy mist fell into it. "Now what is in it?" he asked, handing it to Colin, who pulled out…

"EIGHT SILVER RUPEES?" Everyone gasped as he shouted. Raven smiled, "Eight hundred? Really? Wait'a make a child rich, Shadow." she teased. He smirked, "It's what I do."

Link looked like he was thinking something over. "Look Raven… maybe you could come with me to convince Zelda he wasn't a bad person…"

Raven frowned. "For all I know she'd try to kill me too. What proof do I have that isn't the case?"

"You hold a Goddess' power and she only holds a piece of the Tetraforce. If she tried anything, you could easily kill her and since her piece is the triforce of wisdom, she knows this." Link explained.

Raven nodded. "Fine. Under one condition. If anyone attacks Shadow Link, then I am going to leave without explanation and take him with me."

Shadow Link looked like he was hesitant to agree but he was reminded that she was putting her life on the line to make his better, and nodded, "Fine, I'll agree to that as well." he said as they followed Link outside. Raven turned to Link. "We'll be right above you. Several. Leagues. Above you." and a shadow of a raven enveloped her and Shadow Link as they flew into the sky. Link hopped onto Epona and set off towards Hyrule castle, hoping the guards would not see the enormous raven above him and perceive it as a threat.


	14. An Uninvited Guest

**CHAPTER 14**

 **An Uninvited Guest**

As Link approached the castle gates, assuming she wouldn't be able to her him, he shouted up to Raven. "I'll go in and tell Zelda of your arrival, then you can teleport in!"

Surprisingly he heard her in his mind saying, "Understood. You are making a fool of yourself in front of the guards."

Link looked down to see the guards staring at him like he was mental, and he sighed. "I need to speak with princess Zelda. It's urgent." he said as Epona stopped in front of the gates. They looked at each other and nodded before allowing him through.

Once inside, he found Zelda in the library, and was about to announce his presence when a black portal opened, Raven and Shadow Link emerging. Zelda jumped up out of her chair at the sight of Shadow Link, drawing a rapier hidden in her skirt and he sighed, "Relax princess! I am not your enemy unless you give me a reason to be."

Raven put a hand the her temples, "Shadow, that's not as reassuring as you think it is." she said. Zelda turned to Link, "This is the goddess you informed me of then?" she asked. Link nodded. "They came here under a condition. If anyone attacks either of them, both will leave with no explanation." he supplied. Zelda nodded and Raven turned to Shadow Link, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" she muttered and within seconds Link's shadowy counterpart was wearing all red and was sporting blue eyes. Zelda couldn't help but look for any telltale signs that he was indeed not born of the four sword, but she found no differences from Link save his color scheme.

"Those words… where did you learn them?" She asked Raven. Raven turned to her and said, "From the monks of Azar. In another dimension. One that even the goddesses cannot reach."

Zelda sat down and motioned for someone to approach them. "Could you bring us something to drink?" she asked, the servant in question nodding and going to fetch something. Raven stopped them, "Herbal tea if you have it."

Zelda chuckled a bit. "We do, though I was unaware anyone but myself enjoyed such a refreshment."

Raven smiled slightly. At least they got started on the right foot. Now for the hard part. "So I am told people fear me for no good reasons other than they view my magic as evil simply for it's color and origin."

Zelda sat back in her chair and crossed her fingers under her chin, "Putting it simply, the goddesses have deemed dark magic evil across Hyrule because every known user of it has attempted total control of the kingdom. Therefore the vast majority of Hylians, Zoras and Gorons assume a goddess who commands such a power cannot be anything but a bad omen. Even the Kokiri, whom haven't been seen for at least a good few centuries, thought that dark magic was a bad omen."

Raven nodded slightly. "So I should maintain that either I don't use dark magic, or find a way to convince people otherwise?"

Zelda nodded as the tea was brought in and everyone took a cup. "That would be ideal. If you can somehow find a way to change the color of your spells it would greatly increase your acceptance among the people. That said a skilled magic user would still be able to tell what type of spells you were using either way and attempt-"

A loud explosion rocked the side of the castle, and Zelda stood, "Were you followed?" she asked, not angrily, but more cautious than anything else. Raven stood as well. "Possibly. Someone could have sent something after Shadow and I. My best assumption is that it is the goddesses' way of telling me they don't want me here." She deadpanned.

"Uhhh… While I would love that to be the case… I think it's something worse!" Shadow Link pointed out the window. A large floating eyeball with appendages growing from it's sides sporting bat wings emitted a cackle, And Shadow started twitching. "Run, ALL OF YOU! LEAVE!" he shouted, "Don't worry about me, just g-get out o-of he-ere!"

Raven saw something strange then. Shadow seemed to be losing a battle internally, as though going insane trying not to draw his sword and failing miserably. "Sorry about this Shadow. Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!" she shouted, a white aura in her hand hitting Shadow Link causing him to pass out. The eyeball outside looked Raven squarely in the eyes, and seemed just as interested in her as she was in what the heck it was doing here.

Link breathed a word then that sent shivers through Raven.

"Vaati!"

The creature grabbed the unconscious Shadow Link and Raven by the waist with two of his many tendrils. "Let's see you save this one now, Hero!" it sneered… if that was possible for a floating eyeball.

Link ran outside as the thing flew away with a Raven panicking enough to forget that she could use magic against this monstrosity. Rather than struggle, she was trying to figure out what had caused Shadow so much torment.

"Shit." she breathed. Certain artifacts or people? This thing was… one of those? It wasn't an artifact, which meant it was a shape shifter. She suddenly noticed she had been enjoying the view rather than trying to break free and blinked twice. Maybe she could reason with… whatever this thing was...


End file.
